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Spyros Kokotos and his wife, Eliana, have been in the hotel business all their lives. In 1987, five years after opening, Elounda Mare Hotel became the first hotel in Greece to enter the association of Relais & Châteaux. "This is the story of the route I’ve been following for over forty years, every summer, with family and friends, travelling between the islands of the Aegean between Athens and Elounda, Crete. These days, the voyage takes place in an elegant, comfortable sailing yacht. Welcome on board…"
To give you inspiration, Relais & Châteaux presents the Routes du Bonheur: suggestions for travel itineraries that you can fully personalise according to your wishes and the experiences you would like to discover. Our consultants are available to help customise your route and assist you in making reservations at our properties. It is up to you to reserve any recommended activities on-site or nearby that might interest you.
*Total price provided for information only, based on accommodation for two people in a double room for the number of nights per property as indicated on this page, exclusive of recommended activities, properties that cannot be reserved online and restaurants.
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront. Whitewashed blocs clinging to the rock above Elia Beach, offer stunning views down over the sea and distant islands. This ‘place of perfection’, with its traditional architecture, modern materials, original artwork and contemporary furniture, invites you to enjoy the best that Mykonos has to offer: watersports on the private beach, lounging beside the infinity pool, which appears as if suspended over the sea, or relaxation on the terrace. All hotel guest rooms boast stunning sea views. And a regular shuttle to the picturesque port of Mykonos offers you the opportunity to enjoy island life.
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Hotel and restaurant on the seafront. Right above the famous Platis Yialos beach and surrounded by gardens, this temple of excellence and wellness has an exceptional location with breathtaking sea views near the finest sandy beaches and Mykonos town. Here you will be delighted to enjoy the exceptional services and charming Myconian hospitality. After exploring the treasures and beautiful landscapes of the Greek islands, indulge in some highly deserved pampering in the superb thalassotherapy centre, which offers massages, baths and divine treatments. Also on site are three indoor seawater pools, each with rigorously monitored salinity and temperature.
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Hotel and restaurant on the seafront. This privileged spot that claims the island’s most iconic views onto the old port of Alefkandra and 16th-century windmills on the edge of the city of Mykonos, also happens to be the site of the first hotel built by George Daktylides in 1979. Inherited and renovated by his youngest son, the Korali exudes the essence of boutique luxury that draws both on the spirit of its past as the family’s first guesthouse, and the celebrated service excellence of the Myconian Collection.
Entirely sea-facing, the Korali is the perfect lookout from which to let the hours wash away and be dazzled by the spectacle of the deep blue Aegean Sea. The panoramic terrace invites to sunset drinks that lead into sumptuous dinners prepared with care by the chef from locally sourced produce and the day’s catch.
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The story of a unique bird who became the island’s mascot during its heyday in the 60s and 70s: found wounded in 1954 by a fisherman, the pelican was nursed and – when having fully recovered – became the local mascot, always roaming around town and being fed by the locals, who in turn named him Petros. Although Petros perished in 1986, three others have taken his place and – true to tradition – one of them now bears the same name.
Aegean Maritime & Archaeological Museums, Mykonos
Situated in the city centre, near the so-called three wells (“Tria Pigadia”), the Aegean Maritime Museum showcases the island’s naval tradition with scale models of all kinds of vessels. It’s a place that I really enjoy as I was drafted in the Hellenic Navy. Also, near the harbour, it contains a unique collection of sculptures, ceramics, and jewels from various sites in Mykonos, Delos and Rhenia.
Traditional monasteries, Mykonos
Located near Ano Mera, the most ancient settlement on Mykonos, Paleokastro monastery is the best example of traditional Cycladic ecclesiastic architecture. Also near Ano Mera, the impressive Tourliani monastery was built in 1542, restored in 1767 and possesses a lovely carved-wood temple screen crafted in Florence. It also includes a small museum with Byzantine and Renaissance relics.
On the route
The island of Delos
Delos is a small island of great archaeological importance, about 3 miles west of Mykonos, and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The whole island is quite literally an open-air museum. Out of its many interesting sites, I would personally suggest the antiquities of this island once unseen (a-delos in Greek) that emerged from the waves to become obvious (delos). Make sure you hire a guide or read a good book beforehand. It is certainly worthwhile discovering this “island of Apollo” on your own and, at the end of the day, take a swim on its gorgeous southern beaches.
Restaurant and hotel on the seafront. You will never forget these views, in the bright light of the day which makes the blue waters sparkle or at sunset when the horizon is set ablaze. Carved into the rock of a cliff, this intimate hideaway overlooks the caldera of Santorini, a dream setting for a romantic dinner or lounging by the pool in the afternoon. Both plain and sophisticated, in harmony with the traditional architecture of the island, the few rooms are like a cocoon, cool and soft with their vaulted ceilings, their white walls and their cement floor. An ideal retreat for a couple, to savour the unique atmosphere of this pearl of the Cyclades.
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When approaching the unique volcanic island of Santorini by boat, the first mooring must be at Akrotiri, the island premiere archaeological site. Located at the south-western point and having recently been covered by a state-of-the-art roof, it is the most important pre-historic settlement in the Aegean. Nowadays, a guided tour takes one through the ruins of a city destroyed by an enormous volcanic eruption in the 14thc. B.C.
Afternoon stroll around Oia
Of all the sites and dining options in Santorini, I would personally choose to take an afternoon stroll around the town of Oia to wander around its traditional preserved settlement that showcases the local architectural tradition. I would join the hundreds of people who flock here to view the sunset, and then would take the winding path down to the harbor in order to enjoy the fresh fish at Cypriot Loizos’s tavern.
On the route
Mineral And Fossil Museum, Perissa
This museum, located in Perissa, houses exhibits from the island, Greece and the rest of the world. The oldest specimen is dated at 1,5 billion years, while the newest at 50 000 years. Particularly important are the plant fossils of olive trees, schinus, and palm tree that have been unearthed from the Santorini caldera and are dated at 50 to 60 000 years. These exhibits are part of a unique paleoflora that tracks the evolution of plants throughout the Mediterranean region.
Hotel and restaurant on the seafront. On the native island of Zeus, the King of the Greek gods, sits the Elounda Mare Hotel, with its white cottages that look out onto the turquoise waters of the Mirabello Bay. An ethereal light bathes this retreat and its maze of sweet-smelling gardens. The spacious and intimate bedrooms, the bungalows, all different but all with a private pool, enjoy magnificent panoramic views. The hotel’s location is the perfect place from which to discover Crete and its legends, monasteries and chapels bequeathed by the Byzantine civilization. There is even a chapel overlooking the hotel’s private bay, offering stunning vistas of the Mediterranean.
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In 2006, we opened the stunning Six Senses Spa which was immediately recognized by the Sunday Times’ travel magazine as the “World’s Best Spa”! Managed by the world’s foremost spa firm, Six Senses Spas, the spa was an immediate success with spa connoisseurs from all around the world. As we say, it creates innovative and enlightening experiences that rejuvenate our guests…
A boat ride to Spinalonga
Out of the many sites in the area of Elounda, and if you only have a half-day on your hands, then make sure you take a boat ride to Spinalonga, the island-fortress with astonishing venetian fortifications and its old houses depicting traditional Cretan styles of architecture. If you happen to be chartering a private boat to Spinalonga, then do take a detour on the hidden side of the peninsula and swim in the bay of Kryos.
On the route
The great Minoan civilization
Many archaeological sites and musea, both in nearby Aghios Nikolaos and at the capital, Herakleion, showcase the great Minoan civilization. Both the palaces of Knossos and Phaestos are within easy driving distance, while the Byzantine churches on the Spinalonga peninsula can be visited on foot, just a stroll away from the hotel. Enjoy Crete!
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